WASHINGTON — They were treated like pop idols — except for being stuck in travel crates.

Adoring crowds and television viewers watched Thursday as American-born giant pandas Mei Lan and Tai Shan were loaded onto a special cargo jet for a flight to their new homes in China for breeding.

Normally placid, 3-year-old Mei Lan from Zoo Atlanta whirled and paced in her crate as flashbulbs popped. Tai Shan, a 4½-year-old born in Washington, hid at first but was drawn into view as his longtime keepers at the National Zoo knelt silently at his crate to say goodbye, hand-feeding him slices of apples and pears.

One zookeeper wiped away tears. Federal police officers escorted Tai Shan to the airport, and FedEx workers transporting the pair buzzed around in “Panda Team” jackets to go with the huge panda emblem painted on their jet. News networks provided live coverage of the plane waiting on the tarmac and taking off.

Magnitude-6.0 quake off Northern Calif. coast

PETROLIA, Calif. (AP) — A magnitude-6.0 earthquake has struck off the coast of Northern California’s Humboldt County, but officials say there are no immediate reports of major damage or injury.

The U.S. Geological Survey reports the temblor hit at 12:20 p.m. about 35 miles northwest of the community of Petrolia and nearly 50 miles west of Eureka.

Self-help speaker in court for Ariz. deaths

CAMP VERDE, Ariz. — Motivational speaker James Arthur Ray pleaded not guilty Thursday to three counts of manslaughter at his first court appearance since being charged with causing three deaths at an Arizona sweat lodge ceremony he led.

Ray was indicted and arrested on Wednesday for the deaths at an Oct. 8 ceremony intended to be the highlight of his five-day “Spiritual Warrior” event. The ceremony was held at a retreat center he rented near Sedona.

Ray, shackled at the wrists and ankles and wearing an orange jail uniform, didn’t say anything in court Thursday. One of his attorneys, Thomas Kelly, entered the not guilty plea on his behalf.

India offers to resume stalled talks

NEW DELHI — India offered Thursday to resume high-level peace talks with Pakistan, an overture that reflected a significant warming between the nuclear-armed countries one year after the deadly siege on Mumbai.

The United States has been pressuring both countries to resume talks, which would free up Islamabad to concentrate on its fight against the Taliban militants — a key to U.S. strategy in Afghanistan.

Scott Brown takes oath as new US senator

WASHINGTON — Republican Scott Brown took over the seat of the late Massachusetts Sen. Edward Kennedy on Thursday, vowing to be an independent voice in a bitterly divided Senate.

Brown was sworn-in by Vice President Joe Biden Thursday at a Capitol Hill ceremony a week earlier than he originally planned, and just in time to plunge into a partisan fight over President Barack Obama’s choice of a union attorney for a top labor job.

Toyota checks 2010 Prius brakes; no recall Yet

Toyota said Thursday it is evaluating brake problems with the 2010 Prius gas-electric hybrid, but no decision has been made about a recall.

A company spokesman said the automaker is cooperating fully with a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration probe into brake problems, but said it’s too soon to talk about a recall.

Earlier Thursday, the safety agency said it opened an investigation into the Prius, saying it had received 124 reports from consumers about its brakes, including four reports of crashes.

The government is investigating reports that antilock brakes can fail momentarily on some 2010 models in slippery conditions or on rough roads.